2012 Stanley Cup Finals
The 2012 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the 2011–12 NHL season & the culmination of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs. This was the 119th year of the Stanley Cup's presentation. The Western Conference playoff champions Los Angeles Kings defeated the Eastern Conference playoff champions New Jersey Devils four games to two, capturing their first Stanley Cup title in team history. Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the "Most Valuable Player" of the playoffs. The 2012 Finals ended a long Stanley Cup Finals appearance drought for the Los Angeles Kings, who had appeared in the Finals only once in franchise history in 1993 when the Wayne Gretzky–led Kings lost to the Montreal Canadiens in five games. The New Jersey Devils last appeared in 2003 when winning the championship. The Eastern Conference winner had home ice advantage for the first time since 2006, since the Devils had a better regular season record than the Kings. The Devils were the lowest-seeded team to have home-ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Finals, a record previously held by the Devils when they won the Cup as a fourth seed in 2000. The Kings became the first eighth-seeded team to win the Stanley Cup since the conference-based seedings were introduced in 1994. Road to the Finals 'Los Angeles Kings' The Los Angeles Kings historically have not fared well in the playoffs, despite there some highlights in franchise history such as the Miracle on Manchester in 1982 and against the defending Cup holders in 1989, upsetting the heavily favored Edmonton Oilers both times. The only time they advanced to the Conference Finals was in 1993 where the Wayne Gretzky–led Kings defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs to reach their first Cup Finals in franchise history, where they lost to the Montreal Canadiens. From 1994 to 2011, the Kings did not make it beyond the second round of the playoffs. The Kings started the regular season at 13–12–4 before firing head coach Terry Murray on December 12, 2011 (Murray was also head coach of the Cup champions 2000-01 New Jersey Devils but he was dismissed before the end of the regular season). John Stevens served as interim coach before the team hired Darryl Sutter on December 20. Under Sutter, the Kings finished the season at 95 points, earning the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoffs. The Kings then went on to become the second team to eliminate the first, second and thirds seeds from the playoffs in the same postseason (and the first team to do so in that order), after the 2003–04 Calgary Flames, also coached by Darryl Sutter eliminating the Vancouver Canucks in five games, the St. Louis Blues in four games, and the Phoenix Coyotes in five games, respectively. In addition, the Kings went a perfect 8–0 on the road in these playoff games and the first team to go undefeated while en route to the Final. The Kings are the second eighth seed to reach the Final, following the Edmonton Oilers in 2006. (The Oilers lost out to the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games.) Kings players Jarret Stoll and Matt Greene were part of that Oilers team in 2006 while teammate Justin Williams played for the Cup-winning Hurricanes. 'New Jersey Devils' The Devils started the season having missed the playoffs in the 2010-2011 season for the first time since 1995-1996 season, breaking a 13 consecutive post-season appearance streak. This was the Devils' first season under head coach Peter DeBoer, who replaced the retiring Jacques Lemaire during the offseason. Under DeBoer, New Jersey finished the regular season with 102 points, but ended up with the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Devils eliminated DeBoer's former team, the Southeast division-winning Florida Panthers, in seven games, and two of their division rivals, first the fifth-seeded Philadelphia Flyers in five games, and the first-seeded New York Rangers in six games. The series 'Game one' Los Angeles scored first on Colin Fraser's goal at 09:56 of the first period. The Kings then held the Devils without a shot on goal for the first 14 minutes of the second period, but could not increase their lead. The Devils tied the game at 18:48 of the second period when Anton Volchenkov's shot bounced off of Kings defenseman Slava Voynov and into the Los Angeles net. At 3:58 of the third period, a Devils goal was waved off when Zach Parise illegally pushed the puck with his hand over the Kings goal line. Anze Kopitar beat Martin Brodeur on a breakaway goal 8:13 into overtime to give the Kings a 2–1 win in Game 1. The Kings' Jonathan Quick made 17 out of 18 saves, while Brodeur made 23 out of 25. With the win, the Kings became the first team to win their first nine road games in a single postseason. 'Game two' The Kings extended their 2012 playoff road winning streak to ten with another 2–1 overtime victory. This time, it was Jeff Carter who scored at 13:42 of the extra period. After Carter's initial shot from the right side was stopped, he then went around the net to grab the puck on the other side and then made a shot through traffic that beat Martin Brodeur. Los Angeles scored first on Drew Doughty's unassisted goal at 7:49 of the first period. The Devils tied the game at 2:59 of the third period when Ryan Carter deflected Marek Zidlicky's shot into the Kings' net. Neither team could take advantage of their power plays, nor on a 4-on-4 late in the third period. Both teams had more shots than Game 1; Jonathan Quick made 32 out of 33 saves, while Brodeur made 30 out of 32. 'Game three' Los Angeles scored four goals and Jonathan Quick stopped all 22 New Jersey shots, as the Kings defeated the Devils 4–0. The Kings' first goal at 5:58 of the second period was controversial. Dwight King's original shot against Martin Brodeur was stopped, but King kept on swiping the puck until Alec Martinez finally pushed it across the goal line. Brodeur argued that he had the puck covered up just before Martinez's shot, but the officials did not blow the play dead and the goal stood. The Kings' scored their second goal at 15:07 of the third period when Justin Williams sent a pass near the boards to Dustin Brown, who then passed to Anze Kopitar on the other side, who then lifted the puck over Brodeur. In the third period, two New Jersey penalties led to two Los Angeles power play goals. Meanwhile, New Jersey could not score off of Los Angeles' five penalties during the game, including Jeff Carter's high-sticking double-minor in the first period that led to a Devils 5 on 3 for about a minute. This contest also saw the return of Kings' left winger Simon Gagne, who had been out of the Los Angeles lineup since December 26, 2011, due to a head injury. Gagne, who is playing in the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in three years, took Brad Richardson's spot in the lineup. In 2010, Gagne, along with current Kings teammates Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, were members of the Philadelphia Flyers that lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games. With the win, the Kings became the first team in NHL history to take a 3–0 series lead in each of the four rounds of the playoffs. 'Game four' New Jersey avoided being swept for the first time in team history when Adam Henrique scored at 15:29 of the third period to break a 1–1 tie and Ilya Kovalchuk added an empty-netter with 19.1 seconds left, defeating the Kings 3–1, and forcing a Game 5. This marked the third time in this playoffs that the Kings failed to close out a series in Game 4 after winning the first three games. The game remained scoreless until 7:56 of the third period when Patrik Elias shot a rebound into the Los Angeles net, giving New Jersey their first lead of the series. This lead was cut short a minute later, as David Clarkson was called for boarding at 8:52, and four seconds later Drew Doughty tied the game with a power play goal for the Kings. With the loss, the Kings failed to match the record set by the Edmonton Oilers, who was the last team to lose only 2 games in their 1988 championship run with at least 16 required games played in a 4 round format. 'Game five' The Devils gave the Kings their only playoff road loss with a 2-1 victory, ending their 10-game road-winning streak, and became the first club since the Detroit Red Wings in 1945 to come back from a 3-0 deficit in the Cup Finals to force a Game 6. New Jersey scored first at 12:45 of the first period, their first power play goal of the series, after Jonathan Quick misplayed the puck and Zach Parise found an open net on the other side before the Los Angeles goalie could recover. The Kings tied the game at 3:26 of the second when Justin Williams took a pass from Matt Greene, skated into the New Jersey zone and beat Martin Brodeur, but the Devils took the lead for good at 9:05 of the second when Bryce Salvadorr's shot defected off of Kings defenseman Slava Voynov into the Los Angeles net. Jarret Stoll's goal at 11:16 of the second period, which would have tied the game, was waved off because he shot it with a high-stick. The Devils later held on for the final minute of the game on a 4-on-4 and the Kings pulling their goalie for the extra attacker on what became essentially a 5-on-4 advantage. 'Game six' The Kings defeated the Devils, 6–1, in Game 6 to capture the series and win their first Stanley Cup in team history. This was the most lopsided Cup-clinching game since 1991 when the Pittsburgh Penguins won Game 6 by beating the Minnesota North Stars 8–0. At 10:10 of the first period, New Jersey's Steve Bernier was assessed a major boarding penalty and a game misconduct on a hit to Los Angeles' Rob Scuderi. The Kings then put the game out of reach by scoring three goals on the ensuing five-minute power play (when a major penalty is assessed, the full five-minute penalty must be served)—the first by Dustin Brown, the second by Jeff Carter and the third by Trevor Lewis. Carter then beat Martin Brodeur to score his second goal of the game at 1:50 of the second period after Anton Volchenkov collided with a linesman while trying to defend Brown, who was carrying the puck into the New Jersey Zone. Unimpeded after Volchenkov was screened from the play, Brown easily got the pass off to Carter. Adam Henrique got the Devils' lone goal at 18:45 of the second period after getting the rebound off of a shot by Petr Sykora. Lewis added an empty net goal at 16:15 of the third period after Brodeur was pulled for an extra attacker. With Brodeur back in the net, Matt Greene scored the Kings' sixth goal of the game 15 seconds later. Regarding Bernier's game-changing penalty, Rich Chere of The Star-Ledger wrote that it was "the most devastating call in the Stanley Cup finals since the illegal curve on Marty McSorley's stick in 1993. Several Devils fans and other observers believed that there was inconsistency with the officials' calls, and that they missed a couple of calls on the Kings at the time of that hit, such as one Jarret Stoll made on the Devils' Stephen Gionta. With the win, the Kings became only the second California-based NHL team to win the Stanley Cup, following the Anaheim Ducks, who beat Ottawa in 2007, the 12th expansion team to win it, and the second to last 1967 expansion team to do so. Series quotes "Ten seconds left. Puck behind the Kings' net, centered by Parise. The long wait is over! After 45 years, the Kings can wear their crown! The Los Angeles Kings have won the Stanley Cup!"- ''Nick Nickson (calling the final seconds of Game 6). ''"The toughest trophy in all sports. It takes hard work and determination and great fans. It starts at the top of any organization. Phil Anschutz, Tim Leiweke, Dean Lombardi, Luc Robitaille, Darryl Sutter and most importantly these great players. 16-4 through a playoff run, one road loss, knocking off the top three seeds in the West. An amazing performance. It's my honor to present the Stanley Cup to captain Dustin Brown."- ''NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, presenting the Stanley Cup. ''"44 years since they came into the league in 1967 - brought in by Jack Kent Cooke. This one will be for Triple Crown line - for Taylor, Dionne, Simmer, Rogie Vachon - for Bob Miller, the long time voice of the Los Angeles Kings. For Bernie Nicholls and Rob Blake, for Gretzky, for Bruce McNall, for Ace Bailey and Mark Bavis, for the superfan Larry, for the 584 players that have worn the Los Angeles Kings uniform - they all get a little piece of what's happening tonight in Los Angeles. The Kings faced adversity, they stared it down, and all that's left is the countdown to the cup."-Jim Hughson (final call made on the CBC broadcast) "And here are the words... that have never been spoken: the Los Angeles Kings... have won the Stanley Cup!"-''Hughson (as soon as the time expired). ''"An improbable but inspiring run. For the first time in their 45 year history, the Stanley Cup to Los Angeles. The Kings... are the Kings!"- ''Mike Emrick (final call made on NBC) Notes The 2012 Stanley Cup Finals marked the first time two American-born captains faced off in the championship series of the NHL as Dustin Brown of Los Angeles battled against Zach Parise of New Jersey. This scenario ensured a second time in league history of an American-born captain leading his team to the Stanley Cup championship. Derian Hatcher of the Dallas Stars was the first American-born captain to do so, leading his team over the Buffalo Sabres in 1999. These finals guaranteed the lowest-seeded Stanley Cup champion in history. New Jersey, as a fifth seed, won the Stanley Cup in 1995. With the Kings' victory, they became the first team ever to win the Stanley Cup as the eighth seed. They are also the second team to win the Stanley Cup without having home ice advantage in any of the four rounds of the playoffs, also after the Devils in 1995. For the second consecutive Finals, both participating teams' arenas (New Jersey's Prudential Center and Los Angeles' Staples Center) served as host to their first Stanley Cup Finals. The Prudential Center opened prior to the 2007-08 season, while the Staples Center opened in time for the 1999-00 season. (In 2011, the Boston Bruins' TD Garden and Vancouver Canucks' Rogers Arena, which both opened within days of one another in September 1995, were the two venues that had the honors.) The Kings are the fourth consecutive team to win the Stanley Cup after opening the season in Europe as part of the NHL Premiere Series. Previous NHL Premiere participants Pittsburgh—Chicago (2010), and Boston (2011) went on to win the Cup. Jonathan Quick became the third American Conn Smythe Trophy winner, following previous winners Brian Leetch (1994) and Tim Thomas (2011). Rosters 'Los Angeles Kings' 'New Jersey Devils' Officials The following officials were chosen for the Stanley Cup Finals: *Referees: Dan O'Halloran, Dan O'Rourke, Chris Rooney, Brad Watson *Linesmen: Derek Amell, Jean Morin, Pierre Racicot, Jonny Murray Television In Canada, the series was televised in English on CBC and in French on the cable network RDS. In the United States, NBC broadcast the first two and the final two games, while the NBC Sports Network televised games three and four. Los Angeles Kings (2012 Stanley Cup champions) The 2012 Stanley Cup was presented to Los Angeles Kings captain Dustin Brown by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, following the Kings 6-1 win over the New Jersey Devils in the sixth game of the finals. '''Defencemen' *2 Matt Greene (A) *7 Rob Scuderi *8 Drew Doughty *26 Slava Voynov *27 Alec Martinez *33 Willie Mitchell *44 Davis Drewiske* (did not play) Wingers *12 Simon Gagne *13 Kyle Clifford *14 Justin Williams *19 Kevin Westgarth (did not play) *23 Dustin Brown (Captain) *25 Dustin Penner *74 Dwight King Centers *10 Mike Richards *11 Anze Kopitar (A) *15 Brad Richardson *22 Trevor Lewis *24 Colin Fraser *28 Jarret Stoll *71 Jordan Nolan *77 Jeff Carter Goaltenders ('both played Center and Wing) *32 Jonathan Quick *45 Jonathan Bernier ;Coaching and Administrative Staff:'' * Philip Anschutz (Owner/Alt. Governor), Nancy Anchutz (Minority Owner), Tim Leiweke (Governor), Edward P. Roski Jr. (Co-Owner)† * Daniel Beckerman (Chief financial officer), Ted Fikre (Chief Legal & Development Officer), Dean Lombardi (President/General Manager/Alt. Governor), Luc Robitaille (President of Business Operations/Atl. Governor) * Ron Hextall (Vice President/Assistant General Manager), Jeff Soloman (Vice President of Hockey Operations & Legal Affairs), Darryl Sutter (Head Coach), John Stevens (Assistant Coach) * Jamie Kompon (Assistant Coach), Bill Ranford (Goaltending Coach), Chris McGowan (Chief Operating Officer), Michael Altieri (Vice President Communications & Broadcasting) * Jack Ferreira (Special Assistant General Manager), Mike O'Connell (Pro Development & Special Assignment Executive), Nelson Emerson (Player Development Executive), Rob Laird (Senior Pro Scout) * Michael Futa (Co-Amateur Scouting Director), Mark Yannetti (Co-Amateur Scouting Director), Lee Callans (Scouting Coordinator) * Marshall Dickerson (Director of Team Operations), Ray Colville (Video Coordinator), Darren Granger (Head Equipment Manager) * Chris Kingsley (Medical Trainer), Dana C. Bryson (Assistant Equipment Manager), Myles Hirayama (Assistant Athletic Trainer) ;Engraving notes * † Edward P. Roski (Co-Owner) It was written that he did not make the list sent to the engraver. However, when the Cup came back from the engraver, his name was on it. The engraver included 53 names (one more than the normal limit). * Kevin Westgarth played in 25 regular season games and Davis Drewiske played in 9 regular season. The NHL agreed to the team's request that both names go on the Stanley Cup. They were with the team all year, as healthy reserves. '''Included on team picture, but left off the Stanley Cup *47 Andrei Loktionov played 39 regular season games and 2 playoff games, and 32 in minors. Since, Loktionov spent half season in the minors and did not play in 41 regular season games or the finals his name was left off the Stanley Cup. *21 Scott Parse played only 5 regular season games in 2009-10 and 9 regular season games in 2010-11, and missed most of the last 2 seasons due to injuries *Denver Wilson (Assistant Equipment Manager), Chris Pikosky (Massage Therapist) and Bernie Nicholls(Coaching Consultant). *Terry Murray was the head coach of the Kings for the first 29 games of the 2011–12 season, and then remained with the team as scout for the rest of the season. The Kings organization requested permission to include his name on the Cup, but the NHL denied the request due to 52 name limit. Murray was not included on the team picture but was given a Stanley Cup ring. *The Kings also gave Stanley Cup rings to retired players Rogie Vachon and Marcel Dionne. Category:Stanley Cup Category:Stanley Cup Finals Category:Los Angeles Kings Category:New Jersey Devils